Tag Archives: Garden of Gethsemane

This reenacts the last hours of Jesus life before His crucifixion all the way through to His death and burial. Everyone (even Peter) abandoned Jesus in His time of need, but Jesus went to the cross for us anyway. They way He died, as much as the way He lived, is a testimony to Who He is.

Scriptures

John 18-19

Luke 23:34

Hebrews 4:12

Ephesians 6:17

Materials

The following supporting materials can be found at www.teachingthem.comon the Lesson and Material Downloads page.

“Spirit Is Willing, But Body Is Weak – Script Cards” (This is a document with all Peter’s and Jesus’ line on it to help them during the drama.)

Long table that sits close to the floor (If you don’t have one like this, you can use a folding table. Just don’t open the legs, and set the table top on a few bricks to raise it about a foot off the ground. This will more closely resemble the type of table Jesus and his disciples ate at.)

Plates, cups, pitchers, fake food (anything to dress up the table for the Passover meal)

Costume for Jesus character – recommend a long piece of fabric with a hole cut in the middle for his head to fit through. Add a belt around the waist and maybe a sash to drape over one shoulder and under one arm.

Costume for Peter character – recommend a long piece of fabric with a hole cut in the middle for his head to fit through and a belt around the waist. He will need a sword to cut off Malchus’ ear.

Rope to tie up Jesus

Cross for Jesus to carry (It can be made of wood or cardboard or whatever else you can think of.)

Strips of cloth to wrap Jesus’ body for burial.

OPTIONAL – if you want to decorate or designate portions of the room as The Upper Room, The Garden of Gethsemane, Golgotha, Pilate’s judgment seat, the tomb in the garden, it might add some realism to the story.

Bible

Preparation

Print the document mentioned above and cut out the lines for both Jesus and peter to say. (Optionally, you could write these lines for Jesus and Peter to say on notecards:

Jesus: One of you is going to betray me.

Jesus: It is the one I pass the piece of bread to after I dip it in the bowl.

Jesus: It important for you to show love for each other.

Peter: Master, where are you going?

Jesus: Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.

Peter: Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!

Jesus: Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will deny you know me three times!

Jesus: Couldn’t you stay awake to pray? The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Jesus: Put your sword away.

Peter: No! Not me!

Peter: I told you, I’m not one of them!

Peter: Blankety-blank-blank-blank! I do NOT know the man!

Jesus: You are right in saying I am.

Jesus: Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.

Jesus: It is finished.

Jesus: Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit.)

Select your volunteer to play Jesus (you may want to choose an adult because of the lines he needs to say), and explain what you want him to do. Dress him in his costume, and have him wait off-stage or out of sight. Give him the script with his lines on them.

Select your volunteer to play Peter (you may want to choose an adult because of the lines he needs to say), and explain what you want him to do. Dress him in his costume, and have him wait off-stage or out of sight. Give him the script with his lines on them.

Ask a volunteer to make the sound of a cock crowing when you give the signal.

Practice the script.

Procedure

Use the following script, or modify to suit your needs:

“Today, I’m going to share the saddest part of the story about Jesus.”

“It was Thursday night, and Jesus was having His very last meal with His disciples before going to the cross.” (Have person playing Jesus and twelve volunteers come up and sit around table. Tell them to act out whatever you say during the story.)

“Everyone could tell that something was wrong, but they didn’t understand what was happening, so they were very sad but didn’t know why.”

“At one point during dinner, Jesus said…” (Have Jesus character say: “One of you is going to betray me.”)

“They all asked, “Is it me? Who is it?” (Have volunteers act this out.)

“Jesus said…” (Jesus: “It is the one I pass the piece of bread to after I dip it in the bowl.”)

“Then He dipped the bread and passed it to Judas.” (Have Jesus character pretend to dip some break into a bowl and then pass it to one of the volunteers at the table.)

“After Judas took the bread, Satan entered him, and he left to go get the priests’ soldiers.” (The volunteer who Jesus passed the bread to goes back to his seat.)

“You see, Judas had already told the religious leaders (the Pharisees and the teachers of the law) that he would give Jesus to them for 30 pieces of silver.”

“Jesus stayed with the other disciples and said… (Jesus: “It important for you to show love for each other.”)

“Right, He’s going to heaven, and it’s not time for His friends to follow Him yet.”

“But Peter didn’t want to accept that Jesus was leaving, so he said…” (Peter: “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”)

“And Jesus said…” (Jesus: “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will deny you know me me three times!”)

“Peter didn’t believe it. He thought that there was no way he could ever turn his back on his Lord and friend.”

“And he probably thought to himself, ‘Not a chance! I’ll be the most faithful of all the disciples. If anyone tries to hurt my master, I’ll use my sword and teach them a lesson.’”

“Dinner was pretty much over at that point.”

“Jesus took everyone and went to the Garden of Gethsemane, which was an olive grove.”

“He was terribly sad, because He knew what was going to happen.”

“So He took just Peter, James and John deeper into the garden pray.” (Have Jesus, James, John and Peter go to a place in the room that can represent the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus should go a little bit further than the others to pray.)

“Jesus asked Peter, James and John to stay awake with Him and pray, but they kept falling asleep.” (Have Peter, James and John act this out.)

“Three times, He asked them to pray with Him, and three times, He had to wake them up.” (Have Jesus go back and forth from His praying spot to ask the disciples to stay awake and pray. Do this three times. Jesus says: “Couldn’t you stay awake to pray? The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”)

“Peter thought he was willing to lay down his life for Jesus, but he couldn’t even stay awake to pray for the Lord.”

“After Jesus woke them the third time, Judas arrived with the soldiers and kissed Jesus on the cheek as a signal to the men.” (Have volunteer who played Judas grab a few other people who can pretend to be soldiers. Judas can just pretend to kiss Jesus if he wants.)

“Peter, probably embarrassed that he had been sleeping and allowed the soldiers to sneak up on them, grabbed his sword and swung wildly, cutting off the ear of a servant named Malchus.” (Have Peter act this out with one of the volunteers that came up with the Judas character. The person who “gets his ear cut off” should cover it up and pretend to be in pain until Jesus heals him.)

“Then, they took Him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.” (Have the guard volunteers lead Jesus to another part of the room, and get a new volunteer to stand and act like Pilate.)

“There, he was tried three more times and found “not guilty” each time.”

“But because Pontius Pilate was afraid of a riot from the crowd, he turned Jesus over to the soldiers to be beaten and crucified.”

“Even though Jesus had been beaten and whipped, they made Him carry his own cross up the hill.” (Give Jesus character the cross, and have him carry it around the room toward a place that can represent Golgotha.)

“At one point, He was too weak to carry it any further, and they made a man in the crowd named Simon pick it up and carry it.” (Grab a volunteer from the audience, and give him the cross to carry the rest of the way.)

“Did you catch that?”

“This guy’s name was Simon, too, but it was the wrong Simon.”

“It wasn’t Simon-Peter who helped Jesus up the hill.”

“It was another Simon, who just happened to be passing by at the time.”

“Once again, Peter isn’t where he was supposed to be.”

“During the times of Jesus’ greatest need, Peter is no where to be found, even though he said he would never abandon his Lord.”

“Around 9a that morning, Jesus was nailed to the cross.” (Have volunteers act this out.)

“What I find amazing about Jesus is that while they were nailing his hands and his feet to the cross, he said…” (Jesus: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”)

“Jesus even loved those who were killing Him.”

“Touch your neighbor and say, ‘Only God can do that!’”

“At noon, there was an earthquake, and amazingly, dead people came to life and started walking around and talking to others.”

“The sun went dark and stayed dark for the next three hours.”

“At the end of that time, Jesus said…” (Jesus: “It is finished.” And then “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit.”)

“Then He died.”

“It was so amazing the way Jesus died that the Roman centurion, a man who had seen many men die, said, ‘Surely, this was the son of God.””

“He had never seen someone choose when to die, but Jesus did.”

“The Jewish leaders had asked Pilate to take the bodies off the crosses, so Pilate told the soldiers to make the crucified men die faster.”

“They did this by breaking the men’s legs so that they couldn’t push themselves up on the cross to get a breath.” (Optional additional information you could share: Dying on a cross is really dying by drowning, because the men’s lungs were filling with fluid.)

“The soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves, but when they came to Jesus, they could tell that He was already dead.”

“Just to be sure, though, they stuck a spear into His side. Then they were sure that He was dead.”

“Some of Jesus’ followers asked if they could take Him off the cross, and Pilate let them.”

“They took Jesus’ body to a cave in a garden and wrapped His body with strips of cloth.” (Have a few volunteers act this out with the Jesus character.)

“Then, they rolled a giant stone in front of the cave and left.”

“It was Friday night, and Jewish law required them not to do any activities until Saturday night, so they had to get home quickly.”

“Because the Jewish leaders were afraid that Jesus’ followers might try to steal his body, they had Pilate seal the tomb and put a guard of Roman soldiers outside.”

“Everyone abandoned Jesus – even His best friends and most loyal followers.”

“Judas betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver, all the disciples ran away when the soldiers came, and Peter denied that he even knew Jesus.”

“But you know what? Jesus still loved every one of them.”

“He knew that they would leave Him before He even chose them to be His friends.”

“He knew that their spirits were willing to follow Him even if it meant they would die, but their bodies were weak, and they couldn’t find the courage to stand with Him in His time of need.”

“He knew that He would have to go to the cross alone, but He did it anyway – because He loved them and because He loves you.”

“The best part of the story is yet to come! We will cover that next time!” (If you are not meeting with this group regularly, you probably should finish the story and continue through Jesus’ resurrection and what it means for all of us. You can find it in the lesson, “Rest of the Story, The (LESSON)” on the Lesson and Material Downloads page at www.teachingthem.com. You can use the Rhyme Time below to reinforce the teaching point.)

This game is high energy with a spiritual teaching point about doing the things God wants us to do. You can use it when teaching about Jesus as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Scriptures

Mark 14:32-42

Materials

None

Preparation

Select a space to play the game.

Practice the script.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“We’re going to play a game called, ‘Asleep in the Garden.’”

“It’s about the night that Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was crucified.” (Ask volunteer to read Mark 14:32-42.)

“Jesus had asked Peter, James and John to stay awake and pray, but they kept falling asleep.”

“This was a pretty important time for them to join Jesus in prayer, but they were very tired.”

“Even though they wanted to stay awake, they couldn’t seem to do it.”

“So, here’s how the game is played.”

“I’ll play Jesus for the first round, and I’ll stand over here and turn my back toward you so that I can’t see you.” (Pick a spot at the front of the room.)

“Everyone should lay down on the floor like you are asleep.”

“Everyone can stand up one time before I turn around, but you can only stay standing for three seconds – ‘one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.’ Then you have to lay down again and ‘go to sleep’ until after I’ve turned around.”

“If I turn around while you are standing, you win and get to be ‘Jesus’ for the next round.”

“But if no one is standing when I turn around, I’ll say, ‘The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,’ and we’ll start over.”

“Also, if more than one person is standing when I turn around, keep counting, ‘one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.’ Then lay down. The last person standing wins.”

“Does anyone have any questions?” (Answer any questions.)

“Okay, let’s play!” (Play several rounds, allowing different people to come up and be ‘Jesus.’ Then ask the Debrief Questions below.)

Debrief Questions

“What did you think of the game?”

“Why do you think it was so important to Jesus that Peter, James and John pray with Him?”

“Why do you think it was so difficult for them?”

“Have you ever found it difficult to do something God wanted you to do? What was it and why?”

This activity teaches about the events leading up to the resurrection of Jesus. It doesn’t follow all the traditional stations of the Catholic version but rather focuses on the most important events for sharing the Easter story.

Scriptures

Matthew 26-28

Materials

One copy of each of the puzzles that represent the different Stations of the Cross. You can find this on the Lesson and Material Downloads page at www.teachingthem.com. The file is called, “Easter Stations of the Cross – Puzzles.ppt”

Scissors or cutting tool

12 Ziplock bags (sandwich size)

Preparation

Printout one copy of the puzzles.

Cut along the outlines of the puzzle pieces.

Put each set of puzzle pieces into a Ziplock bag.

Create the following “Stations” around the room by setting out the appropriate puzzle at each Station:

Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested.

Jesus is tried by the Sanhedrin.

Jesus is denied by Peter.

Jesus is judged by Pilate.

Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns.

Jesus takes up his cross and is helped by Simon.

Jesus is crucified between two thieves.

Jesus promises the thief eternity in paradise.

Jesus dies on the cross, and the veil is torn in two.

Jesus’ is removed from the cross and buried.

Jesus rises from the dead.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“Some Christian traditions have a ritual called, Stations of the Cross.”

“The Stations are different places in a room, or on a road or in a building that you walk to and then stop to think about Jesus and how much He loves you.”

“The Stations each have a description, and they are usually about different events related to the Easter story.”

“Today, we’re going to go through some of the most important events (or Stations) and learn about what happened during that part of the story.” (Divide the group into twelve smaller groups, and assign each one to one of the Stations. If you have less than 12 people, you can assign multiple stations to each person. Have these groups or individuals go to different stations and put the puzzles together. They should then read the Scriptures on their puzzle and be ready to summarize that part of the story when the group reaches that Station. After all the puzzles are done, gather everyone back together, and go through the Stations in the order listed above. As you reach each station, allow everyone to look at the picture, and have the person or group who completed the puzzle summarize the story for the larger group. When you’ve finished all the stations, you can sing the Alleluia chorus or do a short wrap-up lecture on the importance of the resurrection.)

Description
This game teaches the Easter story through the game of Bingo.

Materials
• Copies of the eight different bingo cards (See the filed called, “Easter Story Bingo Cards” on the “Lesson and Material Downloads” page of http://www.teachthem.wordpress.com.) Each card has all the same pictures, but they have different placements. You can choose whether or not you reveal this information to the children.
• Something to act as blotters. You can use coins, torn pieces of paper, poker chips… You will need enough for all the children to use. (I use candy and tell the kids that they get to keep the candy whenever they make a Bingo.)
• Copy of the Easter story at the end of this lesson.
• Optional – Prizes for getting bingos.

Preparation
• Practice the script.
• Print copies of the eight different bingo cards.
• Distribute them randomly to the children so that each child has one.

Procedure
Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):
• “We’re going to play a game to tell the story of Easter.”
• “Each of you has received a ‘Easter Story’ bingo sheet. On it, you will see pictures that represent some of the events from the Easter story.”
• “I’m going to read the Easter story out loud.”
• “You have also received some blotters that you can use to put on the pictures as you hear me mention them in the story.”
• “If you see a picture that represents something I mention in the story, put a blotter on top of that name.”
• “The center space is marked, ‘G.R.A.C.E. Space.’ This one is free – like grace; you can put a blotter on it now. It’s to remind you of God’s grace to us. Grace is something that you get but didn’t earn, and the letters in the word stand for ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.’”
• “You see, we have all the wonderful blessings that God wants us to have, because Jesus paid for them on the cross. We have God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”
• “So, make sure you have a blotter on that center space, because it is already paid for.”
• “Now, if you get five boxes in a row, in a column or in a diagonal marked, you have a bingo, and you should shout out, ‘BINGO!’”
• “If you get a BINGO, you can keep playing and see how many BINGOs you can make.”
• “Does anyone have any questions about how to play?” (Answer questions.)
• “Okay, let’s play!” (Begin telling the story. Be sure to emphasize the picture words as you reach them. They are emphasized in the text below in bold and enlarged font. Several pictures will be mentioned more than once, so the kids have multiple chances of finding them. All Scriptures are taken from The Message, because it is more lyrical. I’ve skipped some passages in order to shorten the game for children with shorter attention spans. Chapters and verses are noted, and all four Gospels are used in order to give a more complete picture of the story.)
• (Optional Follow-Up: Ask the kids to take their Bingo cards home and to try to retell the story to their parents, siblings or friends using the pictures.)

THE EASTER STORY

Matthew 26
Anointed for Burial
1-2 When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, “You know that Passover comes in two days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.”

3-5 At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas, conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want a riot on our hands,” they said.

6-9 When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. “That’s criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor.”

10-13 When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. “Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. When she poured this perfume on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial. You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired.”

14-16 That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests and said, “What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” They settled on thirty silver pieces. He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.

Luke 22
The Passover Meal
7-8 The Day of Unleavened Bread came, the day the Passover lamb was butchered. Jesus sent Peter and John off, saying, “Go prepare the Passover for us so we can eat it together.”

9 They said, “Where do you want us to do this?”

10-12 He said, “Keep your eyes open as you enter the city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him home. Then speak with the owner of the house: The Teacher wants to know, ‘Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will show you a spacious second-story room, swept and ready. Prepare the meal there.”

13 They left, found everything just as he told them, and prepared the Passover meal.

John 13
Washing His Disciples’ Feet
1-2 Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.

3-6 Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”

8 Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!”

Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”

Luke 22
14-16 When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, “You’ve no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It’s the last one I’ll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God.”

17-18 Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, “Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I’ll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives.”

19 Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.”

20 He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.

31-32 “Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”

34 Jesus said, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me.”

A Dark Night
39-40 Leaving there, he went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. When they arrived at the place, he said, “Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.”

41-44 He pulled away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?” At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.

45-46 He got up from prayer, went back to the disciples and found them asleep, drugged by grief. He said, “What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won’t give in to temptation.”

47-48 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a crowd showed up, Judas, the one from the Twelve, in the lead. He came right up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said, “Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49-50 When those with him saw what was happening, they said, “Master, shall we fight?” One of them took a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.

A Rooster Crowed
54-56 Arresting Jesus, they marched him off and took him into the house of the Chief Priest. Peter followed, but at a safe distance. In the middle of the courtyard some people had started a fire and were sitting around it, trying to keep warm. One of the serving maids sitting at the fire noticed him, then took a second look and said, “This man was with him!”

57 He denied it, “Woman, I don’t even know him.”

58 A short time later, someone else noticed him and said, “You’re one of them.”

But Peter denied it: “Man, I am not.”

59 About an hour later, someone else spoke up, really adamant: “He’s got to have been with him! He’s got ‘Galilean’ written all over him.”

60-62 Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed. Just then, the Master turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Master had said to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.

Mark 15
Standing Before Pilate
1 At dawn’s first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.

2-3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”
He answered, “If you say so.” The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.

5 But they were vehement. “He’s stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He’s a dangerous man, endangering the peace.”

13-16 Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers, and the others and said, “You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing to your charge. It’s clear that he’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”

18-20 At that, the crowd went wild: “Kill him! Give us Barabbas!” (Barabbas had been thrown in prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder.) Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go, and so spoke out again.

21 But they kept shouting back, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

22 He tried a third time. “But for what crime? I’ve found nothing in him deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”

23-25 But they kept at it, a shouting mob, demanding that he be crucified. And finally they shouted him down.

Matthew 27
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”

25 The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and our children after us.”

26 Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.

Mark 15
16-20 The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade. They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thornbush on his head. Then they began their mockery: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.

The Crucifixion
21 There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus’ cross.

22-24 The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning “Skull Hill.” They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn’t take it. And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.

25-30 They nailed him up at nine o’clock in the morning. The charge against him—the King of the Jews—was printed on a poster. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”

Mark 15
33-34 At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At three o’clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

35-36 Some of the bystanders who heard him said, “Listen, he’s calling for Elijah.” Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

37-39 But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!”

Luke 23
50-54 There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.

Mark 16
The Resurrection
1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?”

4-5 Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man (angel) sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

6-7 He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.”

Luke 24
9-11 They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up.

John 20
19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.

20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”

But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”

27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”

28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”

29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

Luke 24
50-51He then led them out of the city over to Bethany. Raising his hands he blessed them, and while blessing them, took his leave, being carried up to heaven.

52-53 And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God. Yes.